South Indian culture
[1][2][3][4][5] This makes the realization of sharira-mandala, where in Angikam bhuvanam yasya (the body is your world) unites with the shaarira-mandala (the whole universe), as expressed in the Natyashastra.
In Andhra and parts of north Karnataka, men wear kachche panchey where it is tied at back by taking it between legs.
Coconut is an important ingredient in Kerala and coastal part of Karnataka of South India, Hyderabadi biryani is also very special in Telangana and other neighbouring states whereas the cuisine in Andhra Pradesh is characterized by the pickles, spicy aromatic curries and the generous use of chili powder.
During classical era, Phoenicians, Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese were attracted by the spices including Cinnamon and Black pepper from the ancient port of Muziris in the southwestern coast of India.
[12][13] During Middle Ages prior to the Age of Discovery which began with the end of the 15th century CE, the kingdom of Calicut (Kozhikode) on Malabar Coast was the centre of Indian pepper exports to the Red Sea and Europe at this time[14] with Egyptian and Arab traders being particularly active.
It includes melodious, mostly devotional, rhythmic and structured music by composers such as Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasaru, Tyagaraja, Dikshathar, Shyama Sasthri, and Swati Tirunal.
The nadaswaram and the (thavil) were played together in South Indian temples to create a periya melam ensemble.
Because of its harsh tone, periya melam is not favored by many Europeans, but to South India, it is a sound of pride and majesty.
"Temple Music Traditions in Hindu South India: "Periya Melam" and its Performance Practice."
The South Indian culture is celebrated in the elaborate dance forms of South India: Koodiyattam, Bharatanatyam, Oyilattam, Karakattam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Thirayattam,[15] Theyyam, Bhuta Kola, Ottamthullal, Oppana, Kerala Natanam, Mohiniaattam and Yakshagana.
The paintings of Raja Ravi Varma are considered classic renditions of many themes of South Indian life and mythology.
The traditional South Indian sculptor starts his sculpture of the divinities from the navel which is always represented unclothed by the sari.
[3] South India has one of the oldest literary traditions in the world reaching back over two thousand years.
The first known literature of South India are the poetic Sangams, which were written in Tamil around two to one and a half thousand years ago.
The artistic expressions of the South Indian people show their admiration of the magnificence of nature and its rhythms.
Some of the works include Silappadhikaram by Ilango Adigal, Tholkappiam written by Tholkappiar, Thiruvalluvar's Thirukural, Kumaravyasa's Karnata Bharata Katamanjari, Pampa's Vikramarjuna Vijaya, Andhra Maha Bharatamu by the three poets namely Nannaya, Tikkana and Errana, Shiva Sharana by Basavanna and Akka Mahadevi's Vachanas.
A married woman is regarded as auspicious, her shakti or feminine power, protects and empowers her husband and their children.
The main spiritual traditions of South India include both Shaivite and Vaishnavite branches of Hinduism, although Buddhist and Jain philosophies had been influential several centuries earlier (recent studies suggest at least the Shaivite branch of Hinduism was present in Southern India before the arrival of Buddhism and Jainism as Ellalan a Tamil King who invaded Sri Lanka in the year 205 BCE is identified by Sinhalese Buddhists as a Shaivite).
South Indian Spiritual traditions have also been informed by Pre-Aryan Indigenous nature and polytheistic worship that distinguishes it from other regions in India.
